Key Spool

More inspiration over on the PaperArtsy blog this week from France Papillon who made these gorgeous little key spools.If you're tempted, there's a YouTube video here.  I must admit I couldn't find a wooden spool small enough so mine's a bit of a monster lol but it still turned out okay.

I used the TH dream stamp round the middle of the spool and my shrink plastic stamp is also dream related. Didn't have any clear shrink plastic but white worked well and I put some gold Krylon (like liquid gold leafing) round the edges.  I also put some Krylon round the edge of the spool to lift it.  

Happiness is reflective....

Sue Carrington is the inspiration for the challenge this week over on the PaperArtsy blog.  She has created the most gorgeous canvas using PA products - it's really worth a look just to see the techniques she's used even if you don't take part. It certainly inspired me to have a go!

This is a much larger area than I usually work on and I have no idea what made me grab this 8 x 10 canvas but I seem to have managed to fill it.

I stencilled using Golden Fibre Paste (Grunge Paste is on my wish list!) then painted the whole canvas with white acrylic and Fresco Cinnamon mixed together for an off white shade.  Once dry, I added Tinned Peas, Guacamole and Pumpkin Soup (sounds like a strange meal!) I made sure each layer was dry before adding the next shade in order to avoid grunging up the colours. I added some stencilling and added the "bump" technique.  (Sue's is WAY neater than my version).  Some stamping was added with a random word stamp.

At this point I went off in my own direction as I couldn't use any of the stamps Sue used.  I've had this wonderful oriental gent for years.  He's about 18 cm/7 inches high and a lovely detailed stamp.  The dies are all Memory Box and the quote is a years old label from my stash.

I edged the whole canvas with Hyde Park and added some gold Liquid Leaf gently across the top to add some highlights.  You can just see the effect here.

I really enjoyed making this, but I haven't quite decided whether it's a complete mess or it works.

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Should I....

Still playing with my new Lynn Perella PA plate.  I was trying to think of a different way to use the images below which actually come as one stamp..

I had a wooden frame which has been stencilled with a sunburst and covered in paprika and beach hut Fresco paints with a layer of crackle in between. As you can see I split the image and stamped multiples of the fish....  

#3UP

A couple of weeks ago I wouldn't have had a clue what that meant but having met up with all my blogging friends at Ally Pally I finally got sucked into Twitter and we've been chatting ever since.  Then this tag suddenly appeared  - #3UP. No one knew what it was but apparently it was a good thing to use and a few days later it became clear that the #3UPers were entered into a draw to receive a mystery parcel containing 3 items which we had to incorporate into a project.  Today's the first day and they are appearing all this week on the Paper Artsy blog.  You can see mine here along with the 2 other #3UPers chosen today.

Of course, I forgot to take photos of my 3 items. Item 1: two 4 x 4 pieces of greyboard; item 2:  a square metal embellishment (above); item 3: two Vintaj metal discs.  Really the whole thing was an experiment in textures and paints.  I used a Crafter's Workshop harlequin stencil and put Golden Fibre Paste through it on the outside and then covered it in various Fresco paints. The words come from a Lynne Perella plate which I used throughout.

The shell stamp is from the LP plate as above.

Two more of the images from the same plate coloured to match.  I used another stencil here for the background.  The two Vintaj metal discs were stamped and coloured with the shell stamp and used to hide the brads that hold the hinge in place.

Thanks to the guys at PA for letting me take part - it was great fun!

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Innovative!

I actually wasn't going to post this card. Although I personally like it lots,  it's a very straight forward layout but I was so chuffed with my inventive hanging for the lantern I had to show you. This is one of the gorgeous stamps from Lynn Perella over at Paper Artsy.

I wanted my lantern to hang out from the card and not lay flat out against it so I spent ages rummaging through the old stash, trying to work out how I was going to do it.  Finally I came up with this......

I think the spring thingy is actually something used in jewellery making.  I managed to pull the top layer of the spring down and find a brad long enough to insert through it and fix it on the other side.  It's quite stable but it adds so much dimension now it's not flat against the card.

She went forth...

I've been playing with my stash from the Ally Pally show.  Most of the products used here are from PaperArtsy including the hanging itself.  The main image was stamped on Crackly Tissue and coloured on both the reverse and the front with Fresco Acrylic Paints.  The hanging has some stencilling on the left hand side and was then painted with more Fresco paints. The shells were stamped on card coloured with Distress Inks.  Both the main image, shells and words are covered in beeswax.  I had right fun adhering the main image to the hanging.  I ended up using a mixture of all sorts of glues/glazes and beeswax lol.  

The words just popped into my head and seemed appropriate.  I thought afterwards I should have used the stamp that came with the plate and it would then have said "She went TRUE NORTH with the wind in her sales." lol

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More melt pot

I'm still loving the melt pot.  Here's another little hanging I made.  The background is covered in beeswax again and the flowers in UTEE.  The original background had 3 flowers on it so I replaced these with the UTEE blooms.  The hessian ribbon was dyed with spray inks to match.

Is anyone watching Paul Hollywood's bread series on a Monday night?  I'm not a great bread maker but the soda bread does not need yeast and was so quick to make (no proving or rising needed).  So I made one yesterday in double quick time and it got eaten just as quickly too.  Accompanying it I also made the smoked salmon paté.  I can highly recommend both.  I've got a soda and stout bread currently baking in the oven!

Ally Pally

I don't usually blog my social life that this was craft related so it had to be done.  Pen and I made a last minute decision to go to Ally Pally on Saturday. We had a fab day, made all the more enjoyable by finally meeting long time blog friends in person.  The show was good but for me there was no doubt that the PaperArtsy stand was the place to be - not only from the social point of view but because they have so many products that I have to have at the moment lol.

We all met up for a drink in the bar after the show closed.  You may already know them.

Hazel & Alison 

Gillian, Emma, Leandra (Mrs Paper Artsy) and Milly (who was working like a trojan)

Alison and Nicky (Minxy)

Lin Brown (Mrs Yours Artfully) and Sam (Samski)

... and of course the obligatory stash shot.  I went with a budget in mind but I'm afraid it went straight out the window!

sTEamPuNK iT

I bought this plate after going to a class at Snazzy's and as you do, put it to one side.  I've been having a rummage through my stash recently and came across a very old pack of Magenta 2 x 2 tiles (remember them?!)  One thing led to another and I ended up with this hanging.

I've used embossing folders for the background and rubbed them with silver gilding wax. I've got a very old set of metallic rub-ons which are nearing the end of their life and very difficult to find these days. The images themselves are cut out from grunge paper.  I did think I should embellish it a bit more but decided I was happy with things as they were.

I did add some dimension by layering the wings...

and here....

Entered for this week's Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge which is "Fly."

Chocolate Baroque Steampunk Travel

TH Texture Fades diamond plate and riveted metal

Cuttlebug embossing folder clockworks

Grunge paper

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Melt pot fun

I borrowed my friend Pen's melt pot a few weeks back. Played with it for a while and then put it to one side but if anyone's been watching Create and Craft this week, you will have seen the great workshops that Hels Sheridan has been doing with the melt pot. So out it came again and I've made a couple of canvases.  Boy oh boy oh boy have I enjoyed doing this!

You can buy beeswax pellets that dissolve quickly in the melt pot but I knew I had some blocks stashed away somewhere.  So I rummaged around and found them and got to work with the cheese grater and ten minutes later had a nice pile of grated beeswax.  The cheese grater wasn't very happy though lol.

The two background images are free digi downloads from the internet.  They have been covered in beeswax.  It's the first time I've used this but it gives a lovely matt finish.

I made the flowers from a Spellbinders die and the leaves are Memory box as is the Madera Corner which you can just see underneath.  The flower above is made from some stiff fabric I've had in my stash for years.

This flower got dunked in the melt pot. (Into UTEE not beeswax).  It give a wonderful porcelain finish. See the pic below to show how it catches the light.

I've entered this for this week's Anything but a Card challenge which is "Inspired By".  I was definitely inspired by the melt pot (and Hels too!)

Memory box madera corner

Memory Box tender leaves

Spiral blossom

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